What do we do when we feel we just cannot go on, when we have been pushed past our limits? The Apostle Paul knew the feeling. He said he despaired of life. Our passage today teaches us that God's intent is that good comes from our suffering so that we in turn can help others and learn to trust God to a greater extent. We turn to Jesus who is the life-giving spirit, and we find the strength to endure.
The second letter to the Corinthians has us focus on comfort and suffering. Since some in the church thought Paul's suffering disqualified him from being an apostle, Paul begins by explaining the great good that comes from suffering and the comfort that comes from God. He gives us four reasons for our suffering.
Paul's closing remarks in his first letter to the Corinthians give us five imperative commands and suggestions to keep them on track until he could visit. The commands conclude with, "Let all that you do be done in love!" That is a great daily guide to keep in mind if you want to walk in the Spirit. And his suggestion is to follow those who are real examples of serving others.
In the passage for this sermon, Paul gives instructions to the church of Corinth to take up a collection each Sunday for the church in Jerusalem. There is much to learn from his instructions, not only from the early church day of worship but how we are to be concerned for the entire body of Christ.
When the last trumpet sounds the perishable will put on the imperishable! What does that mean, when does that happen, and how is it even possible? The sermon delves into these questions and the passage concludes with what we are to do if we because these promises are certain to come to pass.
Ever wonder what your body will be like in heaven? In this passage written to the Corinthians, Paul not only encourages us to believe in something beyond our imagination but also gives us examples of it in nature to help us have faith. The Scriptures tell us our new bodies will be like Jesus resurrected body. The sermon explains what we see in Scripture of what that body could do.
In this passage in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul gives us two memorable statements that defend the fact of bodily resurrection. The first is that if there is no resurrection, Christians are to be pitied, for we invest our lives in this truth and suffer persecution and hardships to share it with others. The second is Paul's declaration that he dies daily. He put his own desires and personal safety aside to proclaim the risen Savior. His point is that he does so because he knows with certainty that Jesus...
In this Bible passage, the Apostle Paul tells us of the very basis of our faith and belief that was taught to him at the very beginning of the Christian faith. It gives us reasons to have faith and should affect our outlook in everything we do.
Because the church in Corinth tended to have chaotic worship services, Paul gave outlines of how the church was to function. Many of these instructions are ignored today. The sermon also addressed gender roles in a worship service and marriage. The passage tells us the reason we need to gather.
Chapter 14 of the first letter to the Corinthians is the most detailed account that we have of a worship service in the first century. Yet, churches today ignore many of the instructions we find there. Paul gives guidelines for the use of spiritual gifts and emphasizes that all that is done must be for the building up of the body of Christ, the believers. This sermon covers the first half of the chapter.
The conclusion of 1 Corinthians 13 stresses the temporary nature of our present spiritual gifts and the eternal quality of agape love. It concludes by telling us that of the things that will remain into the coming age, love is the greatest of all.
Verses four through seven of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians gives us a definition of what agape love is by defining its actions and also by what it does not do. It is a beautiful succinct definition that all can relate to. When we read it, we are struck with the reality that God's love is so much greater than our own and with how much the world needs us to demonstrate that love.
The importance of storing up the Word of God in a biblically illiterate and increasingly post-Christian society/culture. Allowing the Word of God to be our moral compass on every issue. Never straying away from the reliability, truth, and trustworthiness that the Bible affords. Cherishing the privilege and eternal priceless value of the Word of God, laying our treasure and hope in heaven.
After describing the gifts of the Spirit, Paul tells us of the most excellent way. He begins by telling us that no matter how special you think your gift is, if it is not expressed with agape love, you are meaningless. This sermon describes agape and how we can let it flow through our lives to others.
What happens if part of your body wont work with the rest of it? We are used to every part of the body obeying our brain and working together with all the other body parts. If we see a body part is disconnected from the body, we think some horrible accident has happened. Apostle Paul tells us the same is true for the church of Jesus, His body in the world. We all need one another and need to work together in obedience to the Head, Jesus, to faithfully represent Him in the world.
There is a lot of confusion about the gifts of the Spirit. In this message, the numerous uses of the word charismata are noted showing that the word has a much broader usage than most Christians understand. While this list of gifts is the focus of some Christians, Paul's point is not about the gifts, but rather the importance of each member of the local church. Paul was addressing the need to value one another and to be of service to all.
This passage covers two topics: division within the church and the seriousness of the communion celebration. We learn that there was an ungodly class distinction in the early church that distorted the message of the gospel. It was so serious that God was afflicting those who were guilty of this sin. The sermon also addresses the way in which the celebration of the communion meal goes all the way back to the covenant God made with Abram.
1 Corinthians 11 tells us of divine order, women covering their heads when they pray or prophesy, and angels watching our worship services. In this most difficult of texts, we find a lot of different interpretations. What does it say to us today and how are we to apply the eternal truths that underlie this passage? See what you think.
In this passage, the Apostle Paul explains how to live the law of love. We must set aside our freedoms to think of how we can connect with those engage and not stumble them. The purpose is to create a hunger in them to know our Savior. If we act selfishly and offend them we may lose that opportunity. Can we do everything for the glory of God? What would that look like? How is it possible?
What does communion have to do with staying free from idolatry? This passage at first glance doesn't seem to continue with Paul's flow of thought unless we look a little deeper. Our participation in the New Covenant makes us one family that is to love the Lord our God with our whole hearts!
Listen to Jory as he talks about the riches found in the word of the Lord. He delves into psalm 119 to sincerely take apart the text by going verse by verse. Going through each verse we learn the differences in Hebrew and take words apart to reveal the vastness of the meaning behind the text. How blessed are those who walk in the ways of the Lord? Join in as he takes you through the acrostic poem that is psalm 119 letter by letter.
Join Kip as takes us through an age-old question, "Who Do You Say I Am". We all need to ask ourselves this, who is Jesus Christ? A truly great teacher with a crazy god complex, or the true Living God. Ask your friends, your relatives, and even your co-worker. Be open-minded in your listening to their responses for we will be more readily apt to respond in love if listening with openness.
The Hebrews see the natural world as pictures of divine things. In this passage Paul points out some of those pictures and I bring up some of the obvious extensions of those pictures. The Apostle is warning us to learn from the Israelite's mistakes. He tells us these accounts were recorded for our benefit, so that we might not fall into the same errors and their consequences.
Jesus said that because He lives we too will live. We live now with resurrection power, and we will live eternally in resurrected life. In this sermon, we explore some of the wonders of the resurrected life to come.
This year's Good Friday message was an overview of the war of the ages, the only war that really counts in eternity. We skim through history and see how this war culminated in the final battle that was won on the cross. The paradox was that through defeat and death, Jesus actually won the war. "It is finished!" was a victory shout.
Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem was filled with intrigue. There were different powers and political views that all factored into that day. There were also numerous prophecies, some of which the crowd was singing. But Jesus knew things would not turn out as the crowd hoped. Nevertheless, he wept for them and what He could see coming. The message concludes with how this account brought two different men to salvation.
In this passage, Paul gives multiple reasons full-time ministers should be supported. Then he declares he is free to deny himself that privilege. Paul did not want anything to interfere with the message of the gospel, so he poured himself out into teaching and working for the sake of the Corinthians. His zeal challenges us to give our all and to let no personal freedom interfere with communicating the message of salvation and growing in Christ.
In this chapter, Paul instructs us that knowledge without love can be harmful to weaker believers. We need to set aside our freedoms to not offend our weaker brothers and sisters. Paul went to a great extent to not stumble those who were weak in the faith because of his concern for their eternal souls. If we stumble them because of our "knowledge" we can destroy someone for whom Jesus died!
In this passage, Paul addresses a question the church had about sexuality. Should people marry or remain single? What about a couple who is betrothed? As Paul often does, he gets down to the heart of the issue, but he also addresses the fact that the current situation is a major factor in our choices.
New believers in Corinth wanted to change their employment because of the persecution they would face, but Paul encourages them to stay and be a witness. God has sovereignly assigned us our lot in life. He has us where we are to be a witness. This sermon shows the need for Christians to be in every part of society.
